Breast Cancer

An upcoming G&D paper reveals how two specific matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) proteins contribute to bone metastasis in advanced breast cancer - lending important new insight into the design of clinically useful small molecule inhibitors. The study was led by Dr. Yibin Kang in Princeton University in close collaboration with Dr. Joan Massagué at MSKCC and Dr. Michael Reiss at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. It will be published online ahead of print at

Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) announced that a pivotal, Phase 3, head-to-head trial evaluating denosumab versus Zometa(R) (zoledronic acid) in the treatment of bone metastases in 2,049 patients with advanced breast cancer met its primary and secondary endpoints and demonstrated superior efficacy compared to Zometa.

A class of drugs used to fight bone loss could reduce the risk of breast cancer spreading or recurring by one-third, according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the New York Times reports.

Researchers from Austria and Germany found that adding the bone drug zoledronic acid to endocrine therapy improved disease-free survival in premenopausal women with early stage breast cancer of the estrogen-responsive type.

An interim analysis of a breast cancer prevention study using exemestane (Aromasin®) finds an "acceptable" level of bone loss. The ongoing phase II study details reported by Jennifer Eng-Wong, MD, a breast cancer specialist at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, examines the use of exemestane in postmenopausal women who are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer based on commonly used risk assessment measures.